American Revolution: Selections from Secondary School History Books of Other Nations
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DOCUMENT RESUBE zD 124 490 95 SO 009 240 AUTHOR Barendsen, Robert D., Comp.; And Others TITLE American Revolution: Selections from Secondary School History Books of Other Nations. INSTITUTION Office of Education (DREW), Washington, D.C. REPORT NO (0E)76-19124 PUB DATE 76 NOTE 97p. AVAILABLE FROMSuperintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 (Stock No. 017-080-01550-1, $2.25) EDES PRICE MF-$0.83 HC-$4.67 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Colonial History (United States); Colonialism; *Comparative Analysis; Comparative Education; *Foreign Countries; Foreign Relations; Geography; *History Textbooks; International Education; Political Science; Religion; Revolution; *Revolutionary War (United States); Secondary Education; Social Studies; Textbook Bias; *Textbook Content; United States History ABSTRACT Selections from the recent history texts of 13 foreign countries are contained in this documentas an effort to gather the curricular perceptions of other countries about key events or periods in American history related to the U.S. Revolutionary War. American- -secon a ry Lea lier Ni, cottemporary source material not otherwise readily available for teaching about the American Revolution, especially during the period of the bicentennial celebration. The collection is useful to teachers interested in inquiry learning, a comparative approach to history,or international understanding. Each entry represents the treatment of the subject in the textbooks of-the country. Selectionsare from France, West Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Ghana, Egypt, Israel, Japan, People's Republic of China, India, Great Britan, and the U.S.S.R. Each selection is translated into English and id-atifies source and grade level it is written for. Compilers' interpretations of the selection are limited and factual errors are not corrected. (Author/ND) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makesevery effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affect's the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDES). EDRS is not ** * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. * *********************************************************************** IlEit- PuNkaina IOL 76-19IZ4 U I.DE PARTMENT HEALTH. EDUCATION S. sYELFAR E NATIONAL 114 SMUT E OF EDUCATION INAS DOCUMENT :SAS SEEN REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGAN:LAMM ORIGIN. +TING 17 POINTS OF %NEWoa ommoss STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY SEPTIC- * SENT OFF CIAL NATIONAL INSTITUT E OF AmericanRevolutionEDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Selections From Secondary School History Books of Other Nations Argentina Canada China. People's Republic of Egypt. Arab Republic of France Germany. Federal Republic of Ghana Great Britain India Israel Japan Mexico U.S.S.R. Compilers Robert D. Barenesen Charles C. Mauch Seymour 31. Rosen Raymond E. Wanner 0 Bureau of Postsecondary Education U.S. DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH, EDUCATION. ANDWELFARE David Mathews, Secretary Virginia Y. Trotter. Assistant Secretaryfor Education Office of Education H. Bell, Commissioner Robert Leestma, Associate Commissionerfor nstitntional relopott nt and International Education 2 The views expressed in the foreign texts included in this compilation are solely those of their respective authors, and should not be construed as representing the viewsor reflecting the opinions, position, or policyof the U.S. Government, nor should any official endorsement by the LIS Government he inferred_ GOVERNMF\T PRITIING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1976 For sate by the Superintendent of Documents, 11.S_ Government Printing (Kee Wash:moon, D.C. 20102 Price ;2.23 Stock No.at7 -0M-01550-1 3 FOREWORD The birth of the American Republic was indeeda -Ant heard round the world: Not only was it of major International significance at the time, but itremains an event of ,-orninuine interest and influence in the contemplator) world. Itis therefore not surprising that the American Revolution is included in the curriculum of the schoolsystems of most This set of selections from the history texts of 13 of the.:.nttions is not the first nor will it be the last effort by educators to gather the curricularperceptions of other countries about key events or periods in American history. Indeed,as the appendix reveals, the Office of Education published its first reportmore than 80 years ago on how the American Revolutionary War was taught in the schools of othernations. The particular merit of the present compilation is thatit provides American teachers with valuable contemporary source material not otherwise readilyavailable for teaching about the American Revolution, especially during the period of theBicentennial Celebration. Teachers interested in inquiry learning, a comparative 2pprJaChto history. and/or international understanding can utilize the collection ina variety of ways to help students develop their analytical skills and broaden their understanding ofAmerican history and of factors which contribute to intercultural communication. No special effort was made to select entriesthat emphasized similarities or differences with prevailing American perspectiveson the Revolution. We simply sought selections representative of the treatment accorded the subjectin the textbooks of a-number-of Important nations around the world. While the variousaccounts reflect a range of views. It is interesting to note that taken as a whole thesimilarities far outweigh the differences when compared with American perceptions.This is probably because of the fairly widespread consensus among historianson many of the facts and interpretations concerning the American Revolution. Suchconvergences of opinion would seem less likely on various other events or periods. While the material has general interestvalue in itself, achievement of itsfull educational potential is dependent upon how teachersutilize the various selections not only to deepen students understandingof the American Revolution through the insights revealed by comparative perspectives, but alsoto develop their ability to think critically about history and communication, process and product. For example, teacherscan use some of the selections to introduce students to suchmatters as how ideology and nationalism can be involved in the treatment ofone country's history by the textbook writers of another. Other parts of the materialcan be used to help show how a country's own nationbuilding experience may wadi() shape its-perceptionsof the development of other countries. The material is also of valueto those interested in the images of America abroad and how the school systems of other countrieshelp shape those views. Such a collection as this naturally raisesa question about the other side of the coin how adequately do American textbooksand other educational materials represent key events or periods in the history of other nations?There is much fertile ground here for continuing collaboration betweeneducators and historians thatremains largely uncultivated. iii To hell. explore need and stimulate interest in the study of how adequately Amerimn educational nnterrals currently in use represent other countries. the U.S. Office of Edm,ation has supported s=ame small but important demonstration projects in the past few years. (Inc is concerned with the nature and adequacy of the treatment of Japanand another of Egypt in American schoolbooks. primarily at the secondary level. The others are concerned with the films and filmstrips about Japan and aboutEgypt available for educational use in the United States. The two projects concerned with Japan art completed: those dealing with Egypt are in process. Clearly. much more needs to be done in developing educational materials which incorporate the important Juncos: viz inherent in the comparative approach.The basic importance of the task to the total educational entcrpnse is such that it merits ahigher priority on the Nation's, research and development agenda and should notbe dependent upon Facial funds. Mete is much ioom ft,' initiative here by enterprisingscholars and publishers.- There arz also needs and opportunities lot cooperation between and among nations on a bilateral. feg, ma I. or international basis. An excellentexample of a bilateral effort is the Joint project on mutual understanding between the United States and Japanwhich is being carried out under the auspices of CULCON. the special United States-Japan Joint' Committee on Cultural and Educational Cooperation. Under the sponsorship of CULCON. and with the cooperation of the Japanese Ministry of Education, the U.S Office of Education. and the East-West Center, a team of Japanese educators and scholars and a team of American educators and scholars are working separately andtogether to Increase mutual understanding between the UnitedStates and Japan through the improvement of curriculum materials and methods inelementary and secondary education in both countries. The chairman of the U.S. Education Sub-Committee is Dr. A. Craig Phillips. Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of North Carolina. The chairman of the Japanese Education Sub-Committee is Dr. Isao Amagi, SpecialAdvisor to the Minister of Education of Japan.